


Operation: Purim (Operation: Christmas Remix)

by sebastian2017



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Jewish Character, Charles You Will Be Drunk, Dancing, Drinking, Fluff, Jewish Holidays, M/M, No Beach Divorce, Period Typical Attitudes, Purim, You too Erik
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2020-06-24 05:32:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19717228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sebastian2017/pseuds/sebastian2017
Summary: Erik was talked into horrendous sweaters for Christmas, it seems only fair Charles tag along to a Jewish party, as well. (It helps that Purim is much more fun, in Erik's obviously unbiased opinion.)





	Operation: Purim (Operation: Christmas Remix)

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Operation: Christmas](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9123415) by [pinkoptics](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkoptics/pseuds/pinkoptics). 
  * In response to a prompt by [pinkoptics](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkoptics/pseuds/pinkoptics) in the [xmen_remix_madness2019](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/xmen_remix_madness2019) collection. 



> CW: alcohol, slight internalized homophobia

Christmas had been fine. Honestly, fine. Erik’s not running off to convert anytime soon and he still wants absolutely nothing to do with the holiday unless Charles is there looking painfully adorable with his soft smiles and pleased laughter. That’s worth hearing Hannukah referred to as ‘Jewish Christmas’ half a dozen times. For anything other than that? Nope, Erik isn’t touching goyische holidays with a ten foot stick.

Which is why it’s probably hypocritical that he expects Charles to absolutely love Purim when Erik drags him along to celebrate. But, hey, Purim is a great holiday. Much more universally appealing than Christmas. Going off the stories he’s heard from Raven about Charles in Oxford, Purim would probably be exactly the sort of holiday Charles enjoys. 

He breaches the topic early one Saturday morning, as they lay together under the covers after a lazy bout of morning sex. “There’s a holiday coming up soon. Next Sunday.”

“A holiday?” Charles repeats, frowning. “Easter isn’t for another month.” 

“Contrary to popular belief, Jewish holidays don’t always overlap with the Christians.” Erik snorts softly. 

“You’re right, of course. I’m afraid I just don’t remember any holidays beyond Hannukah and Passover. Oh and Yom Kippur, is it? Those.” Charles looks quite proud of himself for what he does remember. 

Erik can’t do much except roll his eyes fondly and lean forward to kiss him. “You’re so lucky I love you. Passover is in a month or so, yes, but Purim is coming up in a week. The synagogue I go to is having a party and I thought perhaps we could go together. Everyone is very friendly.” 

“Party at a synagogue?” he echoes. Clearly, Charles doesn’t trust a synagogue’s ability to party very much. 

Erik nods. “It’ll be very fun. I promise.”

“Right. So when you say ‘party’... What does that entail?” Charles asks. 

“It’s called Purim and it involves watching a skit and then drinking until we’re wasted,” he explains. 

Charles frowns, waiting for Erik to keep talking and explain how he’s just joking. When it doesn’t come, he just blinks, confused. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Not at all.” 

“Purim, did you say? That’s definitely happening.”

\-----

Erik doesn’t regret telling Charles about Purim and inviting him to celebrate. He’s still very much looking forward to that. He does, however, ever so slightly, regret telling Charles that Purim sometimes doubles as a costume party. If he’d said nothing at all, maybe he wouldn’t currently be holed up in Charles’ attic, on hour three of searching through old boxes for a costume. Erik did this to himself, he knows. 

“Really, Charles,” he says, for probably the tenth time in the last hour, “not everyone goes in costume and it can be very lowkey. Throw a bedsheet on and say you’re a ghost or something.” 

“Absolutely not!” Charles seems offended at the very suggestion. “We’re going to have the most fantastic costumes this congregation has ever seen.” 

“Of course, motek.” Erik rolls his eyes, but he’s more amused than annoyed. 

Charles pulls a dusty hat and matching bandana out of a box. “How do you feel about being a cowboy?” 

\----

It’s a testament to how in love Erik is that Charles actually talks him into wearing a cowboy outfit. In the grand scheme of things, it’s probably not the worst costume Erik could have been talked into. He’s in boots, a pair of too tight - just tight enough, according to Charles - jeans, and a well worn flannel with a denim jacket on top. It probably wouldn’t be immediately identifiable, if Charles hadn’t made him wear a bandana around his neck and a cowboy hat. Charles is dressed as a mouse, which is just a pair of sweatpants and a grey shirt. It’s less elaborate than what Erik’s been forced into, but the finishing touches of pink face paint on Charles’ nose and paper mache ears make it ten times worse than Erik’s cowboy outfit. Erik would never want to step out in public in such a costume. Charles looks quite proud of it. 

“Run it all by me one more time?” Charles asks, as they approach the synagogue. 

“We’re going to go in, mingle, and start to drink. Then we’ll all sit to watch a very low budget spiel of the Book of Esther. Boo when I boo, clap when I clap. Unless you get confused because of the drink, in which case, feel free to embrace the drunken confusion. After the spiel, we’ll go back to drinking, the band will start playing, and we’ll all dance for a while.” 

“Erik?” 

“Yes?”

“Our wedding is totally going to be a Jewish ceremony.” 

\----

Charles gets the hang of when to boo by the end of the spiel, though Erik was finding it incredibly amusing whenever Charles glanced at him with that hopelessly lost look on his face. Charles claps the hardest when the spiel is over, and Erik isn’t sure how much is the alcohol and how much is in an attempt to impress him. He appreciates it either way. Erik tells him to sit tight and goes off to refill their drinks. When he comes back, he hands Charles his drink and then starts pulling him out to the emptied out space in the middle of the event room. 

“Let’s dance,” he says, grinning at him. 

“Here?” Charles asks, glancing at the crowd. “In front of everyone?” 

“It’s Purim. Everyone’s supposed to act strange and backwards on Purim. They’ll all just think we’re in the holiday spirit. Besides, everyone’s drunk,” Erik reminds him. 

“If you’re sure…” 

They dance near each other more than _with_ each other, at first, but after a few more drinks, they’re properly in each other’s arms, dancing horribly out of tune with the music. It’s fine. Almost everyone has gotten to the point of drunken swaying and flailing at this point. And just as Erik had said, no one looks at them twice. Erik wouldn’t go so far as to kiss Charles here or anything of that sort, but dancing is more than they can usually do in public. 

Charles lets out a sleepy sigh and leans his head up against Erik’s shoulder. “I think Purim is my favorite holiday.” 

“It’s a pretty good one,” Erik agrees. “Thank you for coming with me.” 

Charles laughs. “It’s the least I can do, I think, considering how I paraded you around in that terrible sweater.” 

“They really were horrific,” he remarks fondly. 

“They are. Although don’t think it’s escaped my notice that this whole holiday is just a Jewish Ugly Sweater Party!” Charles insists. 

Erik rolls his eyes. “Shush or I’ll insist on a secular wedding.” 

**Author's Note:**

> for questions, prompts, or chatting I can be found on tumblr at [sebbym17](http://sebbym17.tumblr.com/)


End file.
